Motorcycles are fast, fun, and economical. They can also be dangerous. Skilled and experienced riders know how to drive safely and ride defensively, but when another driver suddenly turns left in front of an oncoming bike, even the most skilled and experienced rider can only hope to avoid serious injury or worse in the crash that is bound to occur.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident caused by another party, you may have the right to recover compensation for your damages. However, insurance companies will try to deny or devalue your claim to pay you as little as possible.
They are known for using unfair tactics to pressure vulnerable injury victims and families into accepting a low-ball settlement offer. You need the help of an experienced Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident lawyer to get the justice and compensation you deserve.
At Rosen Injury Law, our motorcycle accident lawyers have a proven record of recovering maximum compensation for injury victims, and we want to do the same for you.
Call (954) 466-1114 or complete the form on our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. We will listen to you, answer your questions, and explain your rights. If we take your case, we will work to recover every dollar you are owed.
Why Fort Lauderdale Motorcyclist Accident Injury Victims Trust Rosen Injury Law
- Our motorcycle accident injury lawyers have a proven record of success, having recovered numerous multi-million dollar awards and settlements.
- We are dedicated to getting the justice and maximum compensation our clients deserve for their damages.
- Our founder, Eric Rosen, is Board Certified as a civil trial specialist by the Florida Bar and has successfully litigated cases against some of the biggest companies in the world.
- We genuinely care about the well-being of our clients and helping them move forward after a motorcycle accident injury by securing the compensation they need.
Florida Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Florida has averaged over 9,000 motorcycle crashes annually in recent years, leading to 2,000 incapacitating injuries, 5,500 other injuries, and 541 deaths every year. Florida has the second-highest number of motorcycles in the country, but sees more crashes than any other state. In Broward County, statistics show an average of 700 crashes every year, causing nearly 600 injuries and over 30 deaths annually. Motorcycles make up about three percent of motor vehicle registrations in Florida, yet account for 20% of traffic deaths.
Choose Rosen Injury Law For Your Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Case
Motorcycle accidents are often serious or deadly, and when they occur, you need a skilled and sophisticated Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident lawyer on your side to help you get the best result. Our injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale offer five-star customer service to clients and the assistance of a Florida Board-Certified Specialist in civil trial law. With Rosen Injury Law, P.A. on your side, you’ll be well-positioned to achieve success on your Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident claim, getting the medical care and compensation you need to deal with the damage done to you.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Fort Lauderdale
Motorcycle accidents can be devastating, especially in areas like Fort Lauderdale, where busy roads and driver negligence often contribute to collisions. Motorcycles are smaller and harder to spot, making them particularly vulnerable to accidents caused by inattentive or reckless drivers. Understanding the common causes of these crashes can help raise awareness and promote safer road-sharing practices. Some common causes include:
- Motorcycle accidents in Fort Lauderdale often occur when drivers make left turns at intersections into the path of oncoming motorcycles.
- Drivers may misjudge the motorcycle’s speed or distance or fail to notice it entirely.
- Motorcyclists often have limited options to avoid collisions, leading to serious or fatal injuries.
- Other common causes of motorcycle accidents include:
- Drivers failing to yield the right-of-way.
- Inattentional blindness, where drivers overlook motorcycles due to their smaller size and infrequent presence on the road.
- Negligent driver behaviors that endanger motorcyclists:
- Failing to check blind spots or signals before turning or changing lanes.
- Driving aggressively or recklessly, such as crowding or cutting off motorcycles, can lead to crashes even without direct contact.
Other causes of Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accidents may include equipment failure of the motorcycle or another vehicle. Such failure could be caused by a defective part or by negligent maintenance. Additional causes might be dangerous road conditions, such as negligently maintained or defectively designed roads, or malfunctioning traffic signals.
Determining the cause of your motorcycle accident is essential to a successful claim. At Rosen Injury Law, our attorneys scrutinize the facts of every accident to help determine all possible causes and all potentially liable parties.
Injuries Common in Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists have little protection in a crash. Many do not survive accidents, and others are left with injuries requiring long-term medical care, which may leave them permanently disabled.
Some common injuries caused by Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken or crushed bones.
- Facial injuries.
- Dental injuries.
- Severed or severely mangled limbs that require amputation.
- Back and neck injuries.
- Internal bleeding and organ damage.
- Severe scarring.
- Severe burns.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other emotional injuries.
Don’t be too fast to accept a settlement offer, no matter how good it may sound. Let your attorney evaluate your injuries and the future expenses and losses you are likely to incur because of them.
At Rosen Injury Law, we often consult medical and economic experts to help understand how our clients’ injuries will impact them in the future and to calculate the value of all current and future damages accurately. Only then can we know what a fair settlement of your claim might be.
What Compensation Can I Recover From My Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Claim?
The amount and types of damages you may recover depend on numerous factors, including the severity of your injuries and the available insurance coverage or other sources to pay your damages.
In a successful Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident claim, you may be able to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include your medical expenses, lost wages, property damages, and other costs incurred by your accident.
Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, permanent disability, and other intangible losses. Non-economic damages are more difficult to prove and quantify than economic damages. However, they are often even more devastating than a victim’s economic damages.
Economic and non-economic damages are considered compensatory because they are designed to compensate an injury victim for their losses and expenses. On the other hand, punitive damages are not intended to compensate an injury victim, but to punish the wrongdoer and deter future similar conduct.
In rare cases, you may be able to recover punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. However, Florida law only permits an award of punitive damages when the defendant is guilty of intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
Who Is Liable For My Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Damages?
Liability depends on the cause of your accident. The party whose negligence or wrongdoing caused your damages should be held accountable. Some potentially liable parties in a Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident case include:
- The driver or owner of an involved motor vehicle.
- The employer of the driver of an involved vehicle.
- Another motorcyclist.
- A bicyclist.
- A pedestrian.
- The manufacturer of a defective product that contributed to your injuries.
- A negligent motorcycle or vehicle maintenance company.
- A government entity responsible for dangerous roads or malfunctioning traffic signals.
At Rosen Injury Law, our attorneys are excellent investigators who carefully examine each accident to help determine all causes and liable parties.
What Do I Have to Prove to Recover Damages After A Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident?
Most Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident claims are based on negligence. To be successful in a claim based on negligence, you must prove the existence of four elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care. All motorists owe a duty of care to operate their vehicles safely and take reasonable actions to avoid harming others.
- The defendant breached their duty of care by their action or inaction.
- The defendant’s breach of duty caused your accident.
- You suffered actual damage by the defendant’s action or inaction.
These elements may seem simple, but proving them can often be complicated. At Rosen Injury Law, our attorneys have the experience, skills, and resources to successfully establish each necessary element of your claim to help you get the justice you deserve.
How Long Do I Have to File a Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Claim?
A statute of limitations is a law that sets the deadline for filing a claim to recover damages in a personal injury case. If you miss your filing deadline, you cannot recover compensation for your damages. Florida recently changed the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims, which are based on the theory of negligence.
Florida Statute §95.11(5)(a) provides a two-year statute of limitations for actions founded on negligence. That means you have two years from the accident date to file your claim to recover compensation. There are exceptions to the two-year deadline, so you must promptly consult an experienced Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident attorney to determine your filing date.
You also want to act quickly to help preserve essential evidence to support your claim. Evidence can be destroyed, lost, or diminished over time. When our attorneys take a case, they quickly help identify and collect that evidence before it is too late.
The sooner you contact Rosen Injury Law, the sooner we can begin building your strongest case to help you recover maximum compensation for your damages.
What If I’m Injured in a Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident?
Unlike motor vehicle drivers, or even bicyclists or pedestrians who get injured in a crash, motorcycle riders aren’t covered by no-fault Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. Florida law does not require PIP for motorcycles, and insurance companies don’t bother to offer it.
No PIP coverage means no “no-fault” benefits, so injured motorcyclists have no choice but to pursue fault-based claims against the negligent driver who caused the accident. This requires proving that the other driver was negligent and that their negligence caused the crash, and also proving the injuries and damages that resulted. On the plus side, it is possible to recover much higher damages in a fault-based claim over and above what no-fault PIP benefits provide.
Being successful on a negligence claim requires the assistance of a skilled and experienced personal injury attorney. People who try to settle insurance claims on their own never receive as much as a good attorney could get for them. Eric Rosen is a Board-Certified trial specialist with a number of multi-million dollar verdicts under his belt. When insurance companies are up against Rosen Injury Law, P.A., they are dealing with a known quantity who won’t fall for the standard tricks and tactics designed to avoid liability or limit a payout below what it should be.
Our accident attorneys in Fort Lauderdale fight the bias many hold against bikers and the tendency to hold motorcycle riders at least partially responsible for a crash. Even if the rider wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is not required under Florida law, we work to see that our client’s recovery is not unfairly diminished.
Contact A Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident, call Rosen Injury Law, P.A. at 954-787-1500 for a free consultation. There’s no fee until after we recover compensation for you.